Machine for making elastic paper



O'ct.23, 1928.

A w. A. LORENZ MACHINE FOR MAKING ELASTIC PAPER Filed A rilz, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 16 3) amino Oct. 23, 1928.

W. A. LORENZ MACHINE FOR MAKING ELASTIC PAPER Filed April 2, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet Patented a. 23. 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT" FFICE.

WILLIAM A. LORENZ, OF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB'TO THE OTAKA FABRIC COMPANY, OF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- Application filed April 2,

. eration, is transversely gathered, the arrangement being such that the corrugating and gathering is effected simultaneously.

A further aim of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement wherein the paper is longitudinally corrugated and, durmg the corrugating operation, is reduced 1n width and the corrugated paper is then.

crinkled so as to provide a elastic in all directions.

Other objects willbe in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

paper which is The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which w1ll be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the apphcation of which will be indicated in the appended claims. I

In the accompanying drawlngs F 1gure 1 is a plan view of my improved machine;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectlonal view therethrough, this view being taken substantlally on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the bottom corrugating late; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectiona1 view t rough the corrugatin plates adjacent the dellvery end thereo this new being taken substantially on hne 4-1 of Fi 3' Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but the section being taken through the plates adjacent their intake ends, this view bemg taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

- Fig. 6 is a top view of the guide plate 46.

7 is aview of a modified form of crinklingroller; and Fig. 8 is a sectional view through a pair of crlnkling rollers of the type shown in Fig. 7.

My improved machine is shown more or less diagrammatically or conventionally in the drawings, as, obviously, the method of the present invention may be carried out in ma; chines other than that here shown, and the construction of the machine may be variouslv modified and changed.

.Retterring to the drawings in detail, 10, 10' designate the side members of the frame on KACHHTE FOR MAKING ELASTIC I 1927. Serial No. 180,588.

The paper is drawn from a roll 21 by a pair of feed rollers 2i and is passed between a pair of corrugating plates 22 and 23. The plates 22 and 23 have their opposed surfaces provided with corrugations which converge towards the delivery end and the grooves 0 these corrugated plates gradually increase in depth from the intake end to the delivery end. -The plates are spaced apart so that the paper can be passed or drawn there-between. More specifically,

the lower plate 23 has. as shown in Fig. 3,

ribs 26 which increase in height towards the delivery end of the plate; that is to say, these ribs are relatively higher and more pronounced at the delivery end than at the intake end. Between the ribs 26 are grooves which. since the ribs increase in height towards the delivery end, increase in depth towards the delivery end. The corrugations converge towards the delivery end so that, as the paper is corrugated,-it is compressed sidewise, thus reducing its width.v The upper plate 22 has corrugations 27 which correspond in angularity and general shape to the grooves 25 of the lower plate, and these corrugations extend into these grooves. The upper plate has grooves 28 into which the ribs 26 of the lower plate extend. As will be seen from Figs. 4 and 5, the paper which is passed between the plates 22 and 23 by the palr of feed rollers 24, and the corrugated rollers 42, is gradually corrugated and narrowed in width. By preference, the upper plate is adjustable with respect to the lower one so as to vary the distance between the plates in accordance with the thickness of the paper to be operated upon and, to this end, any suitable means may be employed: for example, the set screws 29 mav be used to advantage to accomplish this result. Also, by preference, the upper plate is resiliently urged towards the lower one and, to this end. the springs 30 may be employed. These springs are interposed between the heads of bolts 31 and the upper plate 22, the bolts being threaded into the side frames, as shown most clearly in Fig. 5.

By preference, the feed rollers 24 are knurled or otherwise suitably roughened so that they may have a good bite on the paper. The upper roll 24 is also, by preference, re-

' suitable manner but, in the present instance,

I have shown, more or less diagrammatically, pipes 40, from which the water may be sprayed onto the paper as the latter passes through the machine. As a modification, the grooves in the plates 22 and 23 may be parallel, and theplates may be angularly placed with respect to one another, if made in two or more parts.

At the delivery end of the corrugating plates are a pair of rollers 42 which are corrugated so as to correspond with the corrugations at the delivery end of the plates so that, as the corrugated paper leaves the corrugating plates, the corrugations in the paper will properly mesh with the corrugat-ions on the rollers. The upper roller 42 is, by preference, resiliently urged toward the lower roller and, to this end, an arrangement similar to that described in connection with the upper feed roller 24 may be employed. The corrugated rollers 42 are driven at substantially the same peripheral speed as the feed rollers 24.

The numerals 44 designate crinkling mem hers or rollers to which the corrugated paper is delivered by the rollers 42. Between the pairs of rollers 42 and 44 are a pair of guide plates 45 and 46, the opposed faces of which are corrugated to match with the corrugations of the rollers 42. In the present instance, the grooves and ribs forming the corrugations on the opposed faces of the guide plates 45 and 46 are parallel and are substantially uniform throu hout their lengths. The 11 per plate 45 may be adjusted relative to the ower one by the screws 47 and is resil iently urged towards the lower one by springs 48.

The crinkling rollers 44 have longitudi-- nally extending ribs 50. the forward face of each of which is at a decided angle or substantiallyradial, so as to form an abutting surface against which the paper is crinkled. In front of these surfaces are pockets or grooves 51 in which the crinkled paper may be compressed. The rollers 44-are driven in opposite directions as indicated by the ar rows and are driven at a slower peripheral speed than are the rollers 42. The upper crinkliug roller 44 may be supported in the same manner as is the upper roller 24.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. and 8, the crinkling rollers 44 are provided with circumferential rooves 52 so that these rollers i it are corrugate correspondingly to the corrugating rollers 42, but each of the annular cor.-

rugations are provided with teeth around its circumference. (Thus the peri heries of the rollers 44 have annular rings 0 teeth.) The teeth on the upper roller may, if desired, be directly opposed to the teeth of the lower roller,,but by preference, the teeth of each rolleriare opposed to the grooves 52 in the other roller. These teeth serve to crinkle the paper that is forced rollers 42.

In order that the paperwill be properly conducted from the rollers to the plates an from the plates to the rollers, the rollers are provided with circumferential grooves 55, and the plates 22, 23, 45 and 46 are each provided at its intake and delivery ends with tongues 56 which respectively engage in the grooves 55.

The various rollers may be driven in any suitable manner, but by way of example I hate shown a train of gears 60 and 60 for this purpose. A change gear 61 is interposed in the train in order that the relative speeds of the rollers 42 and 44 may be varied by changing the gears.

The operation of the machine isbriefly as follows: The feed rollers 24 draw the paper from thesource of supply and pass it to the corrugated plates 22 and 23 and the paperv is drawn between these plates by the corrugating rollers 42 so that the paper is longitudinally corrugated and reduced in width,

against them by theas previously described. The paper passes I from these corrugating plates to the rollers 42 which force the paper through the corrugated guide plates 45 and 46 and a ainst the ribs and teeth of the crinkling rol s 44. As these rollers 44 are driven at a slower speed than that at which the paper is driven through the guide plates 45 and 46, the a-per is crinkled in the manner indicated in ig. 2. Thus, in a single machine, the paper is lon tudinally corrugated and narrowed in wi th under side compression and is transversely corrugated by being longitudinally compressed at the crinkling rollers 44. Obviously, the distance between the various pairs of rollers may be varied.

' I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine for longitudinally corrugating paper and, narrowing it in width, a pair of plates provided on their opposed surfaces with corrugations in meshing relation, the corrugations converging towards the delivery end and gradually increasing in height towards that end, rollers for passing the paper between said plates,means for adjusting the distance between said plates, and means for resiliently urging said plates towards one another.

2. In a machine for transversely crinkling paper, a pair of crinkling rollers between which the paper is passed, said rollers havin teeth, the rear faces of which are abrupt, said crinkling rollers having pockets between said teeth, a pair of plates in front of said crinkling rollers and between which the paper is )assed, and rollers in front of said plates for forcing the paper between said plates and to said crinkling rollers at a greater speed than the peripheral speed of said crinkling rollers.

3. In a machine for transversely crinkling paper, a pair of corrugated rollers between which the paper is passed, a pair of corrugated plates between which the paper is driven by said corrugated rollers, a pair of crinkling rollers to which said plates deliver the paper, said crinkling rollers having longitudinally extending abutments against which the paper is forced, and means for driving the crinkling rollers in such relation to the corrugated rollers that the latter drive the paper between said plates and to said crinkling rollers ata speed greater than the peripheral speed of said crinkling rollers.

4. In a machine for transversely crinkling paper, a pair of corrugated rollers. a pair of crinkling rollers provided with longitudinally extending teeth, a pair of grooved plates matching with said corrugated rollers and interposed between the corrugated rollers and the crinkling rollers, and means for driving said crinkling rollers at a lesser speed than said corrugated rollers.

5. In a machine for longitudinally corrugating and transversely crinkling paper, a pair of corrugated plates, means for driving paper between said plates, and a pair of of corrugated rollers at the delivery end of said surfaces and matching with the corrugations thereof, and a pair of crinkling rollers against which the corrugated paper is forced bysaid corrugated rollers.

7. In a machine for longitudinally corrugating and transversely crinkling paper, a pair of corrugated plates, the corrugations of which are arranged to longitudinally corrugate the paper passing therebetween and narrow the paper,'a pair of rollers for feeding the paper to said plates, a pair of corrugated rollers at the delivery end of said plates and matching with the corrugations thereof, a pair of corrugated plates between which the corrugated paper is driven by said corrugated rollers and a pair of crinkling rollers at the delivery end of the last mentioned plates, said crinkling rollers having longitudinally extending teeth against which the paper is compressed by said corrugated rollers, said crinkling rollers being driven at a lesser peripheral speed than said corrugated rollers.

WILLIAM A. LORENZ. 

